Enchanted Ivy by Sarah Beth Durst
Authors: Sarah Beth Durst
Tags: United States, Fiction, General, People & Places, Action & Adventure, Family, Juvenile Fiction, Magic, Fantasy & Magic, Performing Arts, Education, Adventure and Adventurers, School & Education, Adventure stories, Multigenerational, Body; Mind & Spirit, Dance, Locks and Keys, Magick Studies, Universities and colleges, College stories, Higher, Princeton (N.J.), Princeton University
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didn't exist. Would they? "Are there any left?"
"Oh, yes."
"Tell me," she demanded.
"The Key is not an object," he said. "The Key is a being who is half human and half magic, a parent from each world. Only such a being can pass through the gate. Only such a being can allow others through the gate."
"Where can I find this Key person?"
"Come closer, and I will whisper to you."
Shoving her foot into one of the ornate hinges, Lily boosted herself up. She reached up and grabbed the stone vines near the dragon's tail to pull herself higher--
"Lily!" Jake cried. He grabbed the back of her jeans.
Before he could force her down, the dragon's head shot
101
toward her. His jaws clamped down hard on her hand. She screamed as stone bit into her. Below her, Jake yelled. Spots burst in front of her eyes as pain coursed up her arm like fire. Bits of red orange flame darted out of the dragon's mouth and around her fingers. She screamed again.
Jake yanked her down. Stone scraped gashes along her hand as he pulled her out of the dragon's jaws. Red splattered across the wood door and stone trim. His arm around her waist, Jake half carried, half dragged her down the steps to the plaza. Her head spun.
The dragon screeched. He pushed his talons hard against the chain, and the stone stretched and strained. Dimly, Lily heard Jake: "Oh, shit. Don't die! Oh, shit, what do I do? Dammit!" He ripped his sleeve off his shirt in one quick jerk and wrapped the cloth around her hand. More swirls and spots spun over her eyes as she stared up at Jake's face. A second later, he was shouting into his cell phone--she hadn't seen him take it out. Only a few words made sense. She blacked out.
A few seconds (or minutes or years--she couldn't tell) later, she opened her eyes to see Jake's face swimming inches from hers. She was cradled in his lap. "He could have killed you," Jake was saying. "He should have killed you. You shouldn't have survived that."
She focused beyond him on the chapel arch. Black dots still danced over her eyes, but she thought that the dragon had grown. He filled half the arch, and the stone chain bit
102
deeply into his thick neck. "He grew," she whispered. Stone didn't grow. Stone didn't live. Didn't talk. Didn't bite.
"He had long enough to drain you," Jake said. "Why aren't you dead?"
"More!" the dragon howled. "Need more!" He let out a scream that shook Lily's bones and echoed across the plaza. She shuddered hard.
Jake looked up at the dragon and then down at her. "You're one of them," he said. He shoved her hard away from him. She rolled off his lap and onto the stone plaza. She lay there, cheek against the flagstones. Every muscle felt depleted. She couldn't process his words. "God, I helped you! I even thought you--" His voice was so full of revulsion that she flinched. "You don't belong here. Monsters belong on the other side of the gate."
Gate ... She remembered Tye's voice: If you feel faint or weak or anything, go through the gate! She seized on that memory. It was the only coherent thought that penetrated the dark swirls in her brain. She felt weak; she needed the gate.
Lily lurched to her feet. The plaza tipped and spun.
"More!" the dragon cried.
She heard other voices shouting. All she could think was gate . She needed to go through the gate. Every muscle shaking, she half ran and half fell across the plaza and through the East Pyne courtyard. She stumbled past Nassau Hall, and the green lawn of the yard tilted before her. Her ears roared as her vision spun.
103
She caught herself against an oak tree. Her fingers curled into the bark, and she breathed in the scent of the tree. It strengthened her. She pushed away from the trunk. The few people in the yard swam in and out of her field of view. She avoided them, dimly hearing them call to her, asking if she was okay, as she wove her way toward FitzRandolph Gate.
She stopped in front of the gate and looked up at the Princeton seal. It blurred into a smudge as
"Oh, yes."
"Tell me," she demanded.
"The Key is not an object," he said. "The Key is a being who is half human and half magic, a parent from each world. Only such a being can pass through the gate. Only such a being can allow others through the gate."
"Where can I find this Key person?"
"Come closer, and I will whisper to you."
Shoving her foot into one of the ornate hinges, Lily boosted herself up. She reached up and grabbed the stone vines near the dragon's tail to pull herself higher--
"Lily!" Jake cried. He grabbed the back of her jeans.
Before he could force her down, the dragon's head shot
101
toward her. His jaws clamped down hard on her hand. She screamed as stone bit into her. Below her, Jake yelled. Spots burst in front of her eyes as pain coursed up her arm like fire. Bits of red orange flame darted out of the dragon's mouth and around her fingers. She screamed again.
Jake yanked her down. Stone scraped gashes along her hand as he pulled her out of the dragon's jaws. Red splattered across the wood door and stone trim. His arm around her waist, Jake half carried, half dragged her down the steps to the plaza. Her head spun.
The dragon screeched. He pushed his talons hard against the chain, and the stone stretched and strained. Dimly, Lily heard Jake: "Oh, shit. Don't die! Oh, shit, what do I do? Dammit!" He ripped his sleeve off his shirt in one quick jerk and wrapped the cloth around her hand. More swirls and spots spun over her eyes as she stared up at Jake's face. A second later, he was shouting into his cell phone--she hadn't seen him take it out. Only a few words made sense. She blacked out.
A few seconds (or minutes or years--she couldn't tell) later, she opened her eyes to see Jake's face swimming inches from hers. She was cradled in his lap. "He could have killed you," Jake was saying. "He should have killed you. You shouldn't have survived that."
She focused beyond him on the chapel arch. Black dots still danced over her eyes, but she thought that the dragon had grown. He filled half the arch, and the stone chain bit
102
deeply into his thick neck. "He grew," she whispered. Stone didn't grow. Stone didn't live. Didn't talk. Didn't bite.
"He had long enough to drain you," Jake said. "Why aren't you dead?"
"More!" the dragon howled. "Need more!" He let out a scream that shook Lily's bones and echoed across the plaza. She shuddered hard.
Jake looked up at the dragon and then down at her. "You're one of them," he said. He shoved her hard away from him. She rolled off his lap and onto the stone plaza. She lay there, cheek against the flagstones. Every muscle felt depleted. She couldn't process his words. "God, I helped you! I even thought you--" His voice was so full of revulsion that she flinched. "You don't belong here. Monsters belong on the other side of the gate."
Gate ... She remembered Tye's voice: If you feel faint or weak or anything, go through the gate! She seized on that memory. It was the only coherent thought that penetrated the dark swirls in her brain. She felt weak; she needed the gate.
Lily lurched to her feet. The plaza tipped and spun.
"More!" the dragon cried.
She heard other voices shouting. All she could think was gate . She needed to go through the gate. Every muscle shaking, she half ran and half fell across the plaza and through the East Pyne courtyard. She stumbled past Nassau Hall, and the green lawn of the yard tilted before her. Her ears roared as her vision spun.
103
She caught herself against an oak tree. Her fingers curled into the bark, and she breathed in the scent of the tree. It strengthened her. She pushed away from the trunk. The few people in the yard swam in and out of her field of view. She avoided them, dimly hearing them call to her, asking if she was okay, as she wove her way toward FitzRandolph Gate.
She stopped in front of the gate and looked up at the Princeton seal. It blurred into a smudge as
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